On his 58th day of hunger strike, Sheikh Khader Adnan once again prevailed over Israeli attempts to break his steadfastness and strength. At the Salem military court, Adnan was sentenced to one year in prison from the date of his arrest, 11 December 2017, and a fine of 1,000 NIS ($270 USD). This means that Adnan will be released in the coming days, or at the latest in approximately one month.
Adnan also received an 18-month suspended sentence for five years, reported the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society. Previously, his trial had been postponed repeatedly, and the Israeli military prosecution were seeking hefty sentences on the charges against Adnan, all related to his political activity and expression. He referred to his imprisonment as a hidden form of administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial.
Randa Adnan, speaking outside the court, said that this was a “new victory” over the occupation after 58 days of open hunger strike. Adnan previously won his release from administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial, in a 66-day hunger strike in 2012 and a 54-day strike in 2015.
Adnan, 40, has become a symbol of the steadfastness and resistance of imprisoned Palestinians following his multiple hunger strikes. He has received widespread international solidarity with the strikes, which have drawn attention to the collective struggle of all Palestinian prisoners.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network salutes Khader Adnan on his latest achievement, an accomplishment not only for his own case but for the struggle of Palestinian prisoners as a whole. We also extend our strongest salutes and warm congratulations to his family and fellow strugglers who carried on this “battle of empty stomachs” alongside him, inside and outside prison.
With his body – and, indeed, his life – on the line, Khader Adnan has once again made it clear that Palestinian prisoners’ will cannot be broken and their movement cannot be isolated. Adnan is a symbol of Palestinian courage, steadfastness and commitment to the struggle for freedom; he has become an international symbol of prisoners’ resistance. We reaffirm our call for the liberation of all nearly 6,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails – and the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.
